Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1887-07-28
Mr.. AND MRS. BowsER.
An Amusing Chapter ON the Ever New
Subject of Family Marketing.

Subject of Family Marketing.
After supper the other evening MI
Bowser pulled lot of statements o
account from his pocket with grea
gravity of demeanor. and spreadin,
them out on the center-table he said:
''Mrs. Bowser, do you see theseP''
81 do.n
DO you know what they areP''
"Why, they are the monthly &C
counts from the grocer S."
ooh. they are! Well, should sa,
SO! Do you know what this family ha
devoured. wasted and given away t.
the Pollacks in the last month";"
Il know that we have been yer,
economical"
do your The grand footing i.
sixty-four dollars, Mrs. Bowser-ovel
fifteen dollars per week for a family
of four, and one of them a baby ant
the other hired girl with the dyspep
STA. am no miser, but I pronounce
this an outraged
'.But I haven't ordered any thing
extra, and I've tried to be very careful
w buy SiooC.
Mrs. Bowser. it's your poor buying
and poor management You dom
know any more about running house
than I do of bossing a steamboat
Either that or else grocers are swim
ding me, and won't stand it. Here.
after I shall do all the buying"
I gave the cook orders to tell him
what she wanted, and next morning
Mr.. Bowser entered upon his duties.
The first purchase he made was a
bushel of potatoes from peddler in
front of the house. He gave one dol.
lar and ten cents, and told the man
where to carry them. When he came
home to dinner the cook had to tell
him:
II put that bushel of potatoes into
three pecks. and then cut up the whole
lot to get good ones enough for din
ner."
The first thing to come up from the
grocery was a consignment of ten cans
of pumpkin. This was followed by
fifty pounds of evaporated apples and
one hundred dozen clothes-pins. AS
nothing further appeared the cook
boiled some potatoes, made pumpkin
pie and stewed some of the apples.
When we went out to dinner Mr..
Bowser looked around in astonish-
ment.
.'What does this meant he finally
why, it's all you sent"
He couldn't gainsay that, and by
and by he explained that he had saved
fully dollar and a half on his pur-
chases by buying in such quantities.
''You paid ten cents per can for
while I got the lot for
seven," he went on. Thirty cents
isn't so much, but it is as good to me
as to the grocer"
Eyes, but l bought about one can
month. You have enough here to last
us three years.
"Well saved forty cents on the ap-
Piles he protested.
1--WE have used just two pounds in
the last six months, Mr.. Bowser. At
that rate you have laid in a supply for
two years"
There was look of terror in his
eyes. and he dared not proceed to
nor say word about the
potatoes.
went down with him the next morn
ing, and as we halted in front of
grocery he called out:
''Say, Green, a roast for dinner-two
quarts of strawberries -and-yum-
say, head of cabbage"
When we had driven away he said to
ne:
1--WE were just eleven seconds in
'front.' of that grocery. You'd come
Town here and fool away half an hour
% give the same order You've got
% be right up and down business with
,hese fellows"
When we came to sit down to dinner
We had roast pork and strawberries
Ind boiled cabbage.
81 want to know what this means"
exclaimed Mr.. Bowser as he showed
pack.
This is what you ordered, dear,
md it didn't take but eleven seconds.
You didn't specify the sort of roast
'ou wanted, and you didn't tell the
,ook whether you wanted the cabbage
,oiled. fried or baked. You are run
ling the kitchen now, you knowP''
He swallowed few mouthfuls, tried
lard to change the subject. and after
Inner he went into the kitchen and
'aid to the girl:
Hannah, want sweet cake, tarts.
lot biscuit, raspberries and Clipped
beef for supper. :"
Every well, SIR
"Tll send up every thing as I 60
town."
eyes. SIR"
About mid-afternoon grocer's
wagon delivered a pound of cloves, a
pound of cinnamon and beefsteak.
When Mr. Bowser came home to sup
Der the cook called him into the
Kitchen and said:
'Did you bring the bakers bread,
ir?"
"Why, no. I told you we'd have
lot biscuit"
''But I've no flour"
''Then why didn't you say SOP"
s'The missus always asks me, and
'ou didn't say a word. The lard is
llso out"
"But the beefp''
81 can't chip raw beefsteak. sir.
They probably misunderstood your
,rder."
i. "And the tartsp"
81 had nothing to make 'em OF, and
n this country we don't make sweet